Dark Illusions
by magicspromise89
Summary: When empath Kristine Wilkinson rushes home one rainy night, she shares a vision with her friend Michaela-a vision of an evil creature out for blood.  This vision is just the beginning of a world turned upside down.  OC/OC Rated M to be safe.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own the Carpathian series. That honor belongs to Christine Feehan. I do however, own the main characters in this fic and any other OCs. I hope you enjoy.**

**Dark Illusions **

****

Prologue

_Romania—1358_

Caleb stepped away from the tiny female's broken body. "She's gone, Wilhem."

"No. She can't be gone. They call you a prodigy among healers, Caleb. You can save her, I know it!"

Caleb's twin, Jayden went to stand next to him and met Wilhem's gaze. "We did everything we could. We destroyed the murderous slayers and left no rock unturned. Caleb used all the resources at his disposal, Wilhem. But when it comes right down to it, even the greatest healer in the world can't bring back the dead, no matter how much we wish it otherwise."

Wilhem knelt down and pulled the girl's body close. Burying his face in her hair, he took a long sniff. "So young. Only twelve. Not even old enough to bring back colors." Still cradling the body, he looked up at his brothers with an unreadable expression. "Forgive me brothers, but I must ask you to leave me. I wish to spend my last evening on this Earth with what's left of my beloved Daniella."

"Wilhem, you can't be serious!" Jayden cried out. "It is no secret that your inner struggle was lessened in her company, but females have that effect on us all. The very presence of a Carpathian female gives us all hope to keep going."

"Daniella was not just any female. She was mine. It was different with her than with the other females in the village. Continuing this dreary existence was almost effortless when I saw her smile." Wilhem began to rock back and forth, clutching Daniella's body so hard that had she not been dead, she would no longer be breathing. "I can't go on. Not without ever again seeing her dark eyes sparkling up at me."

Caleb knelt down in front of his older brothers rocking form. "We can't afford to lose you Wilhem. With the increasing threats from slayers and vampires, we must be vigilant. We need every available hunter to protect not only Carpathians, but innocent humans as well. You can't ever know for certain if Daniella was yours. If you greet the dawn now, you could very well be condemning another female to a half-life. Please, Wilhem. You must keep going. We'll help you. We are brothers."

Wilhem once again looked up. "She was mine," he whispered. "I know it."

"No, Wilhem. You don't know it. You can't." Jayden reasoned. "We have already lost too much of our family. Mother, Father, our sister Ariana. They're all gone. We're brothers Wilhem. We have to stick together. If we work as one, we can hold back the darkness."

"I don't think our bond as brothers will be enough to sustain me, Jayden."

"It will," Caleb added. "It has to."

"We'll stick together and fight for our people. We'll fight for each other and we'll fight for a future we'll have with our females." Jayden joined his brothers on the floor. "And when we find them, and we will, it will all be worth it."

Wilhem looked uncertain. "I can feel the darkness closing in. I don't think I can hold out a month, let alone centuries."

"Then we'll make a pact—a blood vow between brothers," Caleb proposed.

"What kind of vow?" Wilhem asked"

"A vow that none of us shall greet the dawn until the threat to our people is lessened enough that not so many warriors are needed to fight."

"An honorable vow, my brother. I shall swear to the pact." Jayden held out his hand. "Wilhem, will you swear to the oath?"

After a few moments hesitation, Wilhem freed one hand from its grip on Daniella. He grasped Jayden's arm firmly. "I swear."

The three brothers exchanged blood three ways. The pact was official. None of them would greet the dawn until the threat to their people was diminished.

_Romania—1490_

"Caleb, I'm worried about Wilhem," Jayden announced as he entered the healing cave.

Caleb finished repairing his cousin Julian's ruptured lung. The warrior's rib had poked right through it. "You need to be more careful, cousin. I may not always be here to patch you up."

"I could have healed it myself, you know." Julian got up and misted out of the cave.

"Just once I would like a thank you."

"_Thank you, Caleb."_

"_Too late, Julian."_

"Did you hear me, Caleb?" Jayden inquired.

Caleb turned to look at his twin. His face was sickly white from overworking himself. "Yes, Jayden. I'm worried too. The darkness is beginning to consume him. I'm beginning to wonder if we should have allowed him the dawn all those years ago."

Jayden sighed. "I've been thinking the same thing. The last time we went hunting together, he nearly killed that farmer he was feeding from. If I hadn't have stopped him, the man would be dead. The worst thing is, I don't think Wilhem even realizes the significance of it. It's like he doesn't even care that his honor is slipping away. I fear he may turn if we don't do something soon. Perhaps we should consult with the prince?"

Caleb shook his head. "No. This is a family matter. Let's go find Wilhem and discuss this. As much as it pains me to say, we may need to convince him to break his oath."

"_Wilhem, Jayden and I wish to speak with you." _Caleb called on their private mental path.

"_I wish to be left alone."_ The reply was terse and almost, sinister.

The twins followed their senses to their brother as they continued to contact him mentally. _"Wilhem, Caleb and I are worried about you. You seem to be feeding far more than usual and with little regard for the humans you feed from."_

"_I've been hungry,"_ he said.

Caleb and Jayden were speeding through the forest now, desperate to find their older brother.

"_Jayden, when was that hunting trip you said you went on—the one when he almost killed the farmer?"_

"_Three nights ago."_

"_Hurry."_

The brothers found Wilhem in the neighboring village. He was feasting on a young woman. She wasn't in a trance. She was whimpering in fear. The two of them burst into action. Jayden yanked Wilhem off the woman. Blood gushed everywhere. Caleb desperately attempted to stop the bleeding.

"Why don't you find your own dinner, brother?" Wilhem turned his now blood red gaze toward Jayden and bared his already-yellowing fangs. "That one was mine."

"How could you, Wilhem? How could you give into the darkness?"

"I was hungry. I just didn't see a point in starving myself anymore."

Jayden shook his head in defeat. "We were wrong, Wilhem. We should have let you die with honor after Daniela died. We were selfish. Now it looks like we'll be forcing death upon you."

Wilhem snickered menacingly. "No, Jayden. You weren't wrong in making me stick around. In fact, that's the only thing you ever got right."

As Jayden steeled himself to charge his brother, Caleb suddenly groaned and keeled over on the ground. His skin had turned gray. He hadn't the energy to help the woman. She was dead. Jayden started to turn back to face Wilhem, but the newly-turned vampire had taken advantage of the distraction. He was gone.

As Jayden ripped open his wrist and offered his vein to his twin, the two of them made a new pact. Neither of them would rest until Wilhem was destroyed.

_United States, Pennsylvania – 1875_

After centuries of playing cat and mouse, Jayden and Caleb were certain of their victory tonight. The twins had tracked Wilhem to an old mausoleum. Most likely the vampire had decided to feed from some poor grieving widow. However, when they entered the mausoleum, they found not one, but ten bodies littering the floor. Only one of them was drained of blood. The blood from the remaining nine had been used to spell out a message across the polished marble floor. It read: **I will be back. I still need your corpses.**

It became clear to the brothers that Wilhem had locked himself away inside the earth. Try as they might, they could not get a read on him. The twins established residence nearby. They would wait forever if they had to. Wilhem would be destroyed.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Pennsylvania-Present Day_

"Hey, Aunt Krissy! Look what I can do!" Kris Wilkinson watched from the porch swing as her young nephew bounced his butt on the trampoline and landed back on his feet.

Kris laughed and applauded her nephew's antics. "Way to go, Danny! It took me until I was fifteen to get that trick right. Of course I didn't have a trampoline big enough until I was thirteen, but you've had that thing up for less than a week. You're a natural!"

Danny giggled and proceeded to do another butt bounce. "Come and jump with me, Aunt Krissy!"

"That thing might be big, Squirt, but it still isn't safe for more than one person at a time. Maybe when you get tired I'll jump a little."

"I don't think I'm gonna get tired anytime soon, Aunt Krissy. This is too much fun."

"That's what you said when your Uncle R.J. and I took you sledding last winter. We went down that hill only five times when you started getting too tired to walk up again. R.J. had to carry you!"

"You got tired after only four!"

"So? We're talking about you here." Kris shook her head and laughed.

Kris' older sister popped her head out the back door. "Krissy, can you come speak with me in the sunroom, please?"

Kris turned around. "You sure it's okay to leave him alone out here, Liz?"

"The trampoline has a net. Besides, we're close enough if anything happens."

Kris turned back to her nephew. "I have to go inside, Danny. Your mother wants me."

Danny made a loud groan. "Awww, Mommy," he whined.

"Aunt Krissy will be back out again soon," Liz called out to him. "You just keep jumping."

"Oh, fine." Danny faked a pout as his aunt joined his mother in the sunroom.

"I must admit, I was surprised when you asked that I come see you," Kris said as she took a seat next to her sister on the small sofa. "I mean, let's face it Liz, I'm not exactly your first choice for friendly companionship. Not to mention I no longer live just up the street."

Liz gave her younger sister what she hoped was a placating expression. "Ever since you and Michaela got that place near the mountains, we don't see you as much. I've missed you. Can't a girl just want to talk with her sister once in a while?"

"You never really have before," Kris stated. "You always talked with Lynn. She's been like a sister to you since long before I was born. We grew up in different decades, Liz. We don't think alike at all, except when it comes to our taste in books. That's really all our relationship is based on, Liz. Books…and the occasional romantic comedy. Just like the only real relationship I have with our brother is quoting movies and TV. I swear R.J.'s like a media encyclopedia. I have to watch stuff I don't even like just to carry on a conversation with him."

Liz sighed. "Yeah, well R.J. is…something else. Krissy, we may be from different decades, but we're still sisters. I know we haven't really had much of a relationship in the past, but I want to change all that. You moved only three months ago, but already everything seems different without you. I've missed you." Liz turned her eyes toward the window and watched her son do another knee bounce on the trampoline. "We've all missed you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to push you away. I love coming down here, especially to see Danny, but it just seems like there's more to this than you're telling me. If you only missed me, you could have just called to talk." Kris gently grabbed her sister's arm and turned her to meet her gaze. There were tears in Liz' eyes and…something else. Kris tried to delve a little deeper, but before she could see the source of Liz' distress, an invisible vice pressed against her temples. Kris clutched at her head and squeezed her eyes shut as she moaned in pain.

"Still getting those headaches that medical science says shouldn't exist?"

Kris weakly nodded her head. "Believe it or not, I've had worse."

"I believe it. I think I was there for some of them."

"Probably were," Kris conceded.

"You ok?" Liz asked when Kris was able to open her eyes. "You need me to get you some Ibuprofen?"

Kris shook her head. "I took some an hour ago. Besides, it wouldn't do any good. The doctor lets me take up to four at a time and it barely does a thing. It's best to just let it run its course."

As an empath, Kris was careful to maintain barriers in her mind to block off the emotions of others, only letting in what she wished to intuit. The prescriptions she took for bipolar disorder also helped with the blocks. However, certain things still made it past her defenses. Liz's emotions were strong and she was unconsciously broadcasting. Where most empaths sensed by touch, Kris' power focused more on eyes. She should have known better than to make eye contact when emotions were running so high. Her concern for her sister had made her forget her own limitations. Her eyes were already throbbing and her vision blurred behind her thick glasses. Medical science had no explanation for her headaches, because they weren't caused by anything physical. They were a result of empathic overflow—and/or the occasional psychic interference. Not that she could ever tell Liz that. It was hard enough believing it herself. Liz didn't know she was an empath. No one in the family did. They all just thought she had a mental illness and Kris felt no need to enlighten them.

Kris looked back at her sister, making sure to focus her gaze on Liz's nose. "Liz, what's really going on here? I can tell you're stressed." Kris's looked at her sister's rounded belly before looking back up again. "And it's not just from the pregnancy."

Liz let out a big sigh. "Have you always been this perceptive?"

Kris smiled. "Maybe. If I was, I kind of kept it to myself when I was younger."

"I miss that."

Kris laughed. "You don't really mean that or you wouldn't have asked me here today." Kris looked out the window to find that Danny had stopped jumping. He was lying down on the trampoline with his face toward the house. Even with her blurred vision, Kris could see that he was looking right at her. Kris dared a small peek at the five-year-old boy's feelings. What she saw brought tears to her eyes. He wasn't looking **at **her. He was looking **into** her. She felt her nephew's fragile psyche trying to latch onto her for comfort and support. Her instinct was to reach for him, but she forced herself to pull back. She turned back to her sister and voiced what Liz couldn't bring herself to say. "It's Danny, isn't it? You think he's like me."

"Yes."

Kris steeled herself. On some level, she'd always known this day would come. Her sister had always been destined to produce an empath. Although, Kris had thought the ability would go to the daughter Liz was currently carrying. She had never expected Danny to be the one to bear this burden. Kris stood up from the couch and headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" her sister asked.

"I'll be right back. There's something I need to show you."

Kris returned a few minutes later with her laptop and a portable thumb drive. As they waited for the programs to load, Liz looked at her curiously. "What's this about, Kris? I tell you I think Danny might be bipolar like you and you go get your laptop?"

Kris turned the screen towards Liz. "I've been doing some research and well…maybe you should just see for yourself. Take a look." Kris waited until Liz was comfortable looking at the screen. "My friend Matt from the community college helped me set this up. It's a genealogy program you can attach links and articles to." Kris zoomed out so her sister could see the layout of the family tree.

"Why are you showing me this?" Liz asked, looking confused.

"You'll see." Kris zoomed in to the bottom of the page. "See those two names at the bottom of the trunk?" At her sister's nod, she continued. "Those are our great-grandparents—our mother's father's parents. The five names coming off of them are of course Grandpa Ron and his siblings. Notice how Grandpa's name is highlighted."

"A lot of these names are highlighted."

"Exactly. I'll see if you can figure out for yourself why that is. Now, please hold all further questions until the end of the presentation." Kris gave her sister a no-arguments look.

Liz rolled her eyes and reluctantly allowed her sister to continue.

"Okay. We'll come back to our great-uncles and great-aunt in a few moments. For now, let's move on to Grandpa Ron and Grandma Ginny's five children. Among those five children, I've highlighted Aunt Jen's name. Aunt Jen had two daughters. I highlighted our cousin Jessica. Under her, we have our four second cousins. You can see I highlighted Jess's oldest daughter Zoey.

"Now, moving back up to Grandma and Grandpa's second daughter, our Aunt Kate, I highlighted her daughter Shannon and then Shannon's daughter Michelle. I also highlighted our cousin Kyle's daughter, Holly. Under Mom's children, I highlighted myself. Uncle Rob didn't have any kids so that moves us on over to our Aunt Lisa and her daughter Maggie who…you guessed it…gets highlighted. Do you see a pattern yet?"

"Yeah," said Liz. "You really like highlighting stuff."

Kris glared at her sister and then turned back to the computer screen. "Maybe this will give you a hint." Liz watched as her sister proceeded to highlight one more name—Daniel Jameson—her son.

"No," Liz whispered. "It's not possible. Mental illnesses don't work like that! You can't possibly be telling me that every one of those highlighted names is someone with a mood disorder. There can't possibly be a mentally ill child born to every single member in our family! What kind of bullshit are you trying to sell me here?" At this point Liz was shouting with her denial."

"Take a look at the rest of it, Liz. I've been compiling data like this for over a year now. I don't have all the info on Mom's cousins yet, but from what I have, the pattern seems to stay the same. To every child in every generation, a child is born who exhibits signs of a mood disorder—whether the parent has it or not. I've gone over the data several times. It's always the same. It's funny though. Including Danny and Grandpa Ron, I've only tracked down four male relatives who show the signs. All the other ones are girls."

After a few moments of silence, Liz finally realized something. "You knew. You knew I was going to have a kid like you."

"Yeah, I knew. I've known for a while. I never thought it would be Danny though. I thought it would be the daughter you're having in February." Kris chuckled and smirked at her sister.

"What? I just found out that practically our entire family is predisposed to mental illness and you're laughing?"

"I was just thinking how lucky you are compared to Mom."

"How's that?"

"You won't have to deal with a bipolar child who's also having PMS."

Liz laughed so hard she nearly fell off the sofa. "That does make me feel better."

Kris smiled. "I thought it might. Poor, Mom. I was such a handful."

"You still are, Krissy."

"Don't I know it," Kris chuckled. She looked out the window to find that twilight had fallen and her nephew had fallen asleep on the trampoline. Liz's husband had just arrived and was carrying him back up the porch.

"Rich is home," Liz announced.

"I can see that." She turned to her brother-in-law as he walked through the door. "Nice to see you again, Rich." Kris closed up her laptop and stuffed the thumb drive into her purse.

"Invading my wife's privacy again, Krissy?"

"Yup, although she asked for it this time." She watched as Rich returned her smile.

"I have to go. The weather report said there might be a storm coming tonight. I want to get home before it gets too bad."

"No…" Kris heard a muffled groan as Danny stirred in his father's arms. "Don't go, Aunt Krissy."

"Put him down, Rich." Liz told her husband. "Let them say goodbye."

As soon as Danny's feet touched the floor he ran into Kris' arms. "Don't go, Aunt Krissy," he cried into her shirt. "Please don't go. I need you."

Kris looked up at her sister. "Can you give us a moment?"

When Rich and Liz were safely out of hearing range, Kris pulled Danny onto her lap. The time had come for eye contact. If she got a headache, so be it. "Look at me, Danny." The little boy looked up at her with his big teary eyes. Kris sensed Danny's fear of the unknown, and once again she felt him reaching out for her to comfort him. This time she didn't fight it. "Come on, Squirt. Wipe those tears away." Kris waited as Danny sniffed and wiped his face on his sleeve. "There you go."

"Why do you have to leave, Aunt Krissy? Everything's better when you're here."

"Oh, Danny. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that." Kris chuckled. "Then again, you do don't you? You feel my joy just as I can feel how afraid you are."

"What's wrong with me, Aunt Krissy? I don't feel right. Everything's…too much. It was better today with you here. I felt like me. But if you go, it'll go back the way it was; I just know it will. I can't take it. I wanna scream and kick and throw stuff most of the time. But I don't wanna be bad, Aunt Krissy! I don't wanna be bad, I just can't help it. I don't know what to do, Aunt Krissy. Please, tell me what to do. I don't know what to do!" Danny was hysterical. It was heart wrenching.

"Danny, I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay?"

Danny nodded. "Okay."

"There is nothing wrong with you. You're just different than most people."

"Like you?"

Kris smiled. "Yeah, Danny. You're like me. People like us, we see things differently. We see with our hearts, not our eyes. It can hurt sometimes though, because even though our hearts are strong enough to hold it all, our heads just can't keep it all straight. We need to let it out somehow. All the extra feelings we have, that our hearts pick up from other people, we have to let it out. That's the out of control feeling you have. I get it too."

"You do?"

"All the time."

"So what do you do?"

"Well, sometimes I let loose by punching my pillow. You gotta be careful with that, though. You have to hit the tough ones. The cheap ones just lose all their stuffing."

"What else?"

"Sometimes when I'm depressed or I feel trapped, I'll pet my cat or hug a stuffed animal. That can make me feel better."

"We have cats. Do you think I should pet them when I'm sad?"

"Only if they're in the mood, Squirt. Otherwise I'd go with the stuffed animal. It's safer."

Danny smiled. "I know what you mean. Sometimes, Stormy scratches."

"Cats have feelings too. They get cranky just like people."

Danny chuckled softly. "Anything else?"

"Just one, but it's the most important one."

"What?"

"Talk about it."

"About what?"

"Everything you feel. When you start feeling out of control, like you just wanna explode, just tell someone. Some people will never really understand what you're going through, but you can tell them what's up. If they truly care, they'll help you get through it."

Kris felt Danny relaxing. His insecurities were being swept away like petals in the wind. "What about you? Will you help me?"

"Always. Even when I'm not around, I'll always be with you."

"How?"

Kris smiled. "Silly little boy. Did I not just tell you how you and I both see with our hearts? That's where you'll find me. And that's how I'll always know if you need me."

Danny hugged his aunt tight and Kris felt a wave of a child's pure untainted love wash through her. "I love you, Aunt Krissy."

"I love you too, Danny." As Kris sent her nephew all her love in return, she felt the last thread of their empathic link come into place. Kris wiped her now wet eyes and lifted Danny off her lap and placed him back onto the floor. "Now off you go. It's dark out already and I still have an hour and a half's drive ahead of me."

"Come back soon, Aunt Krissy?"

"Count on it." As Danny trotted off to his room, Kris looked up to see her sister's face.

The tears in Liz's eyes were of amazement. She'd never before witnessed anything so beautiful. "That was, wonderful. Thank you." It seemed so inadequate for what her sister had done for her son, but she couldn't think of what else to say.

"How much did you hear?"

"Just that last part. How did you know just what to say, Krissy? You never know what to say!"

Kris gathered her things and gave her sister a quick hug. "I knew what to say, Liz, because, like you said, he's like me. He just needed to know he wasn't alone, that there was someone who knew what he was going through. He's a special kid, Liz; don't ever think otherwise."

As Kris turned to the door, Liz called her back. "I know he's special, Krissy. How could he not be when he takes after his aunt?"

Kris couldn't contain the joy those words filled her with. She grinned from ear to ear. "Love him, Liz. Love him with all your heart and soul and don't let him forget it. He needs to know he's not alone. Do that and your son might even turn out better than me."

"Come back soon, Krissy?" Liz asked with a smile.

As she walked out the door into a light drizzle, Kris called back with the same answer she had given her nephew. "Count on it."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Sorry it took so long getting this up. I changed my mind several times while writing it. I bet many of you have noticed that my story synopsis has changed. My initial idea is still the same, so don't worry about anything. The synopsis was merely meant to be an introduction. Since I changed a few things in my mind about how to introduce my characters, my synopsis got changed a bit. Also, this chapter was merely meant to introduce my main character, Kris Wilkinson. I wanted you all to see who she is as a person and how much family means to her. This was just a bit of a back story on her. Also, I was originally going to have Danny with her for most of the fic, but his presence left me with too many plot holes. I still wanted him in there, so I came up with this chapter as a way to introduce his character. I'm probably going to bring him back much later in the story. So basically, Chapter 1 was just to set the scene. The real plot begins in Chapter 2. Thanks for reading. Now please let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I had a little difficulty finding inspiration. Let me know what you think.**

* * *

Chapter 2

Kris slowly navigated the wide turns up the mountain road. Within the last hour, the steady drizzle had transformed into a torrential downpour, and the winds had picked up so much that Kris could barely see where she was driving. She still had a half hour to go, and if the weather kept up like this, she would need to pull over soon to wait it out. Just then, Kris heard some music coming from the phone hooked to her jeans.

"Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister…"

Kris pushed a button on her cell phone to transfer the call to the Bluetooth headset on her right ear. "'Lady Marmalade,' Mickey? Really? I still haven't forgiven you from that time you changed my ringtone to 'Let the Bodies Hit the Floor.'" Kris heard a laugh on the other end of the phone. About a month ago, Kris' roommate had thought it would be funny to change her specific ringtone from "Celebration" to the emo heavy metal song. The first time Mickey had called, Kris had been sleeping. She had been just groggy enough to wake up thinking the world had entered some kind of nuclear holocaust. "Do you even know what '_voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir'_ means? The song is about a prostitute."

"So? 'Cotton-Eyed Joe' is a song about some guy who got stoned, but you still dance to it," Mickey reasoned.

"Remind me again why I put up with you."

"Because you love me? Plus, I pay half the rent."

Kris sighed. "I'll buy that last one."

"Thanks, Kris. Really feeling the love here." Mickey said sarcastically.

"Don't give me that, Mickey. You know I love you like a sister. Now, what's up?"

"Well, more than anything else, I wanted to make sure you were all right. I saw you weren't home yet, looked outside and…well…we live in the Pocono Mts. region so you can understand my concern."

"Well, as you can tell, I'm still alive. If this storm gets any worse, though, I may have to pull over somewhere and wait it out. I have virtually no visibility right now. But, considering the angry, frustrated vibes I'm getting, I have to conclude that it's not just the rain making me slow down to 10 miles per hour."

Kris felt some of Mickey's worry seep through their empathic link. "Please tell me you're exaggerating."

"Only a little, Mickey. I can see only one car in front of me and one behind. If I didn't have my empathic gifts, I could almost convince myself this traffic was all in my head."

"Just be careful, okay Kris?"

"Always. Now, what's the other reason you called?"

"I have several actually," Mickey answered.

"You always do," Kris replied. "Go ahead. I'm listening." Kris checked the road for turnoffs. A sign indicated there would be a rest stop in another ten miles.

"Well," Mickey began. "For starters, can you tell me where I can find a flashlight in this place? I want to be prepared in case the power goes out."

Kris smiled. "Believe it or not, there's a small flashlight under the bathroom sink. I put it there because there's no window. It's not very pleasant to have everything go pitch black while you're doing your business."

There was a long pause at the other end of the receiver. Kris could practically see Mickey raising her eyebrows. "Only you would think of that, Kris." Kris heard footsteps followed by the sound of a cupboard door open and close. "Found it."

"Good. Don't lose it. What else?"

In a quiet voice, Mickey said, "My brother called today."

Kris sensed her roommate was trying to hide her feelings. "You sound disappointed. Did something happen? Did Emil have to cancel on you? I know you guys are supposed to get together this week."

Mickey paused before answering. "No. It's nothing like that."

Kris waited for Mickey to continue. When nothing was forthcoming she prompted her. "This was obviously important enough that it couldn't wait until I got home. Don't shut me out now."

After a few moments, Mickey said, "He said he may have found some relatives of our mother still living over in Romania."

"Wow…I don't know what to say."

"Yeah. I'm not sure how I feel about it." Michaela Parker was one of five children born to a young woman of "questionable morals" in Eastern Europe. Despite having spent the first four years of her life in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, Mickey didn't know much of her origins. She and her older brother Emil were, as far as Mickey knew, all that was left of her mother's children. This included Mickey's twin sister who had died only a few hours after birth. The two of them had been lucky enough to be adopted by families in the United States. They had reconnected ten years ago after a chance encounter. Mickey liked to think of it as fate. After finding out her biological mother had died from disease some time ago, Mickey had laid the past to rest. She had a family here in the states and hadn't felt a need to look any further. It seems her brother wasn't done searching.

"Did you even know he was looking into it? I mean did he tell you before today?" A wave of emotional turmoil slammed into Kris and she struggled to stay on course. "Whoa, Mickey! I know I said not to shut me out, but I'm trying to drive on a wet mountain road here. Do you think you can rein it in a little?"

Kris heard her friend sniffle as if holding back tears. "Sorry, Kris. I'm just…I don't know. I'm just having a hard time with this right now."

Kris tried to send her friend some comfort along their link. "It's ok Mickey. You're entitled to be a little freaked out right now." Kris saw a light up ahead. "Hey, Mickey?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk about this later? I'm about to enter a tunnel."

"The dead zone tunnel?" Mickey asked.

"That's the one. I still can't figure out why we get service in this storm, but not in that tunnel."

"Life rarely makes sense, Kris—especially our lives."

Kris chuckled. "Ain't that the truth? Can you call me back?"

"Will do." Mickey hung up just as Kris entered the tunnel.

* * *

"I know you're here dark one!" Jayden called out into the storm. "It's time to face justice!"

Sinister laughter echoed among the trees. "Justice?" mocked the unseen voice. "You, justice? Ha! I happen to know for a fact that your own brother joined our ranks centuries ago and has yet to meet this so called 'justice.' How do you plan to kill me if you can't even find and destroy one to whom you're bonded by blood?"

Jayden grit his teeth. Had he still been able to feel emotions he suspected the vampire's words would have enraged him. "Show yourself, you coward!" Jayden laced his words with a strong compulsion. "If you think me so weak, then prove it! Come out and face me!" The air shimmered. Moments later, not one, but ten vampires stood before him, all identical. Vincent had decided to clone his image to buy more time. "Oh no," Jayden began sarcastically. "Whatever shall I do? How will I know which undead corpse to send off to the next world?"

The woods echoed with the clones' simultaneous laughs. "Sarcasm does not become you hunter. Or should I say 'gem caller?' You were never very good at hunting, Jayden. You should have just stuck to making jewelry and playing dress-up with all the other little girls in the village."

Jayden hadn't missed that little implication about his gender. "It is true. Gem calling is my true talent. Unfortunately, all the jewels in the world couldn't make your rotting body look decent. In fact, your kind somehow always finds a way to tarnish all the natural beauty in the world. So you see, by acting as a hunter, I'm really protecting my assets."

"Enough talk, hunter," the Vincents said. "It is time to…'protect your assets.'" The vampire and his clones charged Jayden, only to have him move out of the way at super speed. The Vincents came at him from all sides, but every time they threw a blow of any nature, he managed to evade them. The frustration must have been getting to the vampire, for several clones began to vanish.

As the heavy rain pelted them from above, Jayden pushed the storm to new heights. Lightning streaked across the sky, bouncing from cloud to cloud. He directed the lightning to the ground, near but never quite on Vincent or his clones. The sparks fell in a carefully choreographed pattern, forcing the vampire into a dark dance, taking him closer and closer to his own doom. Only four Vincents remained. They surrounded the hunter from all sides.

_Time for the big finale_, Jayden thought. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the lightning. He built a sphere of pure electrical energy around himself and the Vincents. Just as they were about to jump him, the energy sphere imploded, leaving only the real Vincent.

The vampire screamed in agony as his skin burned and his toxic blood poisoned the ground. He looked up, but Jayden was nowhere in sight. Then he felt himself being lifted off the ground by an unseen force.

"_Did you really think your pathetic parlor tricks would fool me?"_ Jayden's voice echoed loudly across the forest as well as inside Vincent's head. The air shimmered to reveal Jayden staring at the vampire just as he plunged his fist inside its chest cavity. "I'm a master of illusions," he said as he gripped the heart. "It sort of runs in the family." Jayden sent another jolt of electricity into the vampire's body as he yanked out the heart. The vampire fell to the muddy ground and screamed in horror as Jayden directed the lightning to its blackened heart. The heart combusted and the flames jumped to what was left of the vampire's crispy carcass. In moments, the body was ash. Jayden finished the job, cleansing himself and the earth of his battle with the vampire. _They turn so young these days_," He thought. _Vincent was barely in his third century._ When he was fully satisfied that he had removed all signs of the battle, Jayden left the scene to feed.

* * *

"_Hey sister, soul sister…" _Kris turned on the Bluetooth. "Hello, Michaela."

"Uh oh," Mickey said. "You only call me by my full name when I'm in trouble. Are you still mad about the ring tone?"

Kris smiled. "Not if you change it back to "Celebration" when I get home."

"Celebrate good times, come on!" Mickey sang.

"Yeah. Well, I gotta tell you, I'm certainly not celebrating these times. They must be doing maintenance on the Lehigh Tunnel again. Only one side was open. No wonder we were moving at a snail's pace. They had us down to one lane! At least the speed has picked up a little since we left the tunnel and switched to two lanes."

"Well what did you expect, Kris? This is Pennsylvania! Home of constant, never-ending construction and roads that never get any better!"

Kris sighed. "Why can't Pennsylvania have carpool lanes like California?"

Mickey groaned on the other end of the phone. "What would it matter, Kris? You wouldn't be able to drive them right now anyway."

"No, but other people could drive them. Then there would be less people in my lane and I'd get home faster. Instead, I'm stuck here in literally bumper-to-bumper traffic on a slick mountain road that could mean a ten-car pileup at any freaking moment!"

Kris felt Mickey's wave of concern. "Kris, remember your happy place. Lying in bed at home curled up next to your precious kitty Marty and your big stuffed panther. Reading a good book. You won't get there if you don't calm down. Happy place."

Kris took a few deep breaths. "Better now?" Mickey asked.

"A little, emotionally anyway. I think."

Kris sensed Mickey trying to delve deeper. She reinforced her blocks. "What are you trying to hide from me, Kris? Please, don't keep me out of the loop. Did something happen at your sister's house today?"

A few moments went by in silence. Kris knew her friend wouldn't force the issue, but she also knew she couldn't hide the truth from her best friend. "I linked with Danny tonight."

Kris struggled to keep focused on the road as a myriad of emotions slammed into her. Confusion, worry, disappointment, anger, hurt, and even a little bit of excitement. "You did what?" Mickey's carefully controlled voice questioned.

"It was Danny, Mickey. It's not the new baby like we thought. It's always been Danny. I don't know why I didn't see it before."

A few seconds of silence passed then Mickey broke in with, "how could you link with him?"

"I don't know, Mickey. He was reaching for me. I tried to hold it off at first, but…he needed me, Mickey. I couldn't not help him."

Kris felt deep concern and a fair amount of fear radiate from her friend. "You do realize, of course, that by forging an empathic link with your nephew, you may have done more harm than good," Mickey told her. "What if he starts feeling your emotional stress, or worse, your physical pains?"

Kris groaned. Another headache was coming on. "Why did you have to mention physical pains?"

"Because of what happened between us. Because I know you have a headache right now and I feel it every bit as strongly as you do. And because I know how very little time it took for us to get to this point. We knew each other only two weeks before we could feel each other's pain. I hope you have some really strong blocks in place because your nephew may be in for a tough time."

"I did think of that Mickey, but I still couldn't keep from pouring my heart out to him. It's instinctive. You know how hard it is to keep from helping someone when you feel that strongly. He needs to know he's not alone. He needs to know I'll be there for him no matter what. He needs to know he's not some freak with a mental illness!" Kris sniffed. Tears were starting to form. "He needs to have a better childhood than I did. Can't you understand that?"

"Of course I understand that Kris. I probably would have done the same thing. I'm just worried about both of you. I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to you."

"Thanks, Mickey. I feel the same way." Kris smiled through her tears.

CRACK! Just then, a huge bolt of lightning hit a transformer not two miles away. Kris struggled to breathe with her heart racing so fast. "You okay, Mickey? Power out?"

Kris heard some heavy breathing on the other end and Mickey's fight-or-flight response was reading loud and clear on her empath radar. "I'll live. I got the flashlight. I think you better pull over at the next exit and find a shop or someplace where you'll be safe until the storm blows over."

"My thoughts exactly."

Suddenly Mickey screamed and a wave of pure terror and agonizing pain flowed through the phone and slammed right into Kris. Kris struggled to stay focused, but her vision of the wet roads and heavy traffic soon blurred to be replaced by something else. Kris knew instinctively that she was somehow sharing one of Mickey's psychic visions. Pure darkness was everywhere, the world devoid of feeling, ready to suck the spirit right out of whatever it touched. Fear and despair touched briefly and a drop of blood broke the darkness. The void swallowed it and up from the depths arose a creature of pure evil. Perhaps once resembling a human, the creature had skin so grey and taut, its body seemed a rotting corpse. It smiled, baring sharp, yellowed fangs now bathed in the blood from which it had formed. Licking its lips, the creature, which could only be described as a vampire, forced his blood-red gaze upon her, and Kris began to drown in its darkness.

A loud honk sounded and Kris returned to the real world only to find her car had veered into the wrong lane. She yanked the wheel to the right, but it was too late. Her sub-compact got bumped by an oncoming car and she started down the side of the cliff. The only thing running through her mind was a prayer. _"Dear God, please don't let me die. Not when I've only just begun to live."_

* * *

**MWAHAHAHA. How evil am I leaving it there? I'll try and get chapter 3 up as quickly as possible. Perhaps if I get lots of reviews I'll update sooner. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I would like to give a special shoutout to my friend inuhime313 who spent a lot of time helping me with this fic. Thanks so much. Also, I would like more people to review. I have no way of knowing if you like it if you don't review. And finally, I would like you to please note that the breaks in this chapter and probably the rest of the fic represent a change in POV. That's all. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Having just finished feeding, Jayden turned for home only to stop dead in his tracks when a woman's desperate prayer found its way into his mind.

_"Dear God, please don't let me die. Not when I've only just begun to live."_

Jayden's world exploded with color. Suddenly, he could see every shade of green and blue in the coniferous evergreen trees. The ground, even muddy, was a vision of beauty. Every drop of rain falling from the sky held a kaleidoscope of color. Jayden was in awe. Pure joy filled his being. There was only one way color and emotion could be restored to a Carpathian male. Jayden had found his lifemate. Joy soon turned to fear and utter dread as he realized his lifemate's words were a desperate cry for help. She was dying, and if Jayden didn't act soon, he would lose her before ever having the chance to love her.

Jayden took to the air and scanned the ground for signs of a woman in distress. It was not long before he found a series of felled trees and a badly totaled car smashed up against an old oak not far from collapse. He rushed to the driver's side and ripped the door off its hinges. A woman lay squashed up against the steering wheel, shards of glass peppering her hair. Blood trickled from her right ear and her left leg was bent at a bad angle. She struggled to breathe as the seat belt tightened around her neck. With superhuman speed, Jayden set to work releasing his lifemate from the metal deathtrap.

* * *

People say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. Well, maybe that's true for some, but as Kris laid there in that car, her body twisted like a pretzel, the only pictures that flitted through her mind were visions of a future she'd never have. Kris saw herself as a successful author, having finally published the novel she'd been working on for years. Her friends and family cheered her on, having finally seen her true worth. She saw herself walking down the aisle of a church, ready to marry a gorgeous man with dark hair and golden brown eyes. She saw them raising two beautiful children together, the son and daughter she'd always hoped to have. All her hopes for a future passed away in an instant just as she soon would as well.

But it wasn't her future Kris regretted losing. All those dreams were just that—dreams. No, Kris regretted leaving behind the life she'd worked so hard for. Perhaps it wasn't much to speak of after 24 years, but Kris was proud of it. After an entire childhood of being humiliated and picked on, most of her peers were finally seeing her as an equal. After years in and out of mental hospitals, Kris had, for the most part, learned to channel her empathic gifts instead of letting them overwhelm her. After years of living off of government checks, Kris finally had a paying job at a book store, and she volunteered at the local library twice a week. Three months ago, Kris had finally moved out of her parents' house, renting an apartment with her best friend. She'd regret leaving her friends behind most of all—all her wonderful friends who had learned to love Kris for the wonderful caring person she'd grown up to be. There was her friend Nina who'd suffered tragedy after the loss of her own brother, Emily who'd helped her live through the stress of an alternative school, Rachel whose sense of humor always brightened up her darkest days—all of them were special to her. Then there was Tara, Kris' friend in Ohio who had some extraordinary psychic gifts of her own. Over four years ago, the two of them had met in a Yahoo chat room. It didn't take long for a friendship to form. Somehow, even though they'd never laid eyes on each other, a psychic link had formed between them much like Kris' bond with Mickey. Kris had been trying to meet Tara in person for a few years now, but so far they hadn't been able to make it happen. Now they never would.

Her nephew, Danny, would find life practically unbearable for a while. Kris' had promised him she'd always be there for him. She'd broken that promise. Danny might spend years transferring the blame from his aunt back to himself until he finally realized the true nature of the accident. Her adoring nephew didn't deserve this so soon.

Kris' hated leaving Mickey most of all, for not only was Mickey like a sister to her, but it had been Mickey who'd really enlightened her to her empath nature. Before she'd met Mickey, Kris had believed the doctors when they'd told her she was mentally ill. She'd used her bipolar disorder as a crutch, cruising along in life like there was nothing she could do to better herself. Mickey had shown her a better way to live, to help people with her gifts instead of hiding away inside herself. Mickey didn't deserve to deal with all this alone. That vision—Mickey would blame herself for Kris' death when really it was she who'd given her a life. It was just too bad Kris would never get a chance to tell her that.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kris was vaguely aware of someone lifting her out of the wreckage. But it was too late; the pain was just too much to bear. Kris sent a silent prayer for her friend Mickey and then breathed her last.

* * *

He'd cut the strap off her neck and torn the entire driver's seat out of the car, but his lifemate's chest remained still under his hand. Jayden's heart began to pound and sweat dripped from his pores. He would save her. If he was unable, if she died this night, Caleb would be left alone to battle Wilhem, for there was no way he'd let her leave this world alone. Jayden laid his lifemate underneath a large pine and hurried to heal her, but as soon as he turned to light and entered her body, he felt her spirit begin to travel to _lewl ma_—the astral plane.

Frantic, Jayden cried out for his twin on the other end of the state. _"Caleb, I've found my lifemate, but she's dying. Her spirit is leaving her body right now! I need your help if I am to save her! Please, Caleb, you are the greatest healer I know."_

The reply was instantaneous. _"Merge with me, my brother. Let me see." _Jayden obliged, merging so fully that the two were almost one person. _"Open a vein in your wrist and allow the blood to fall into her mouth. When she awakens, she will need blood to sustain her." _In his haste, Jayden tore into his wrist and shoved it into his lifemate's mouth, painting the ground red in the process. _"Follow her spirit Jayden. Find a way to hold her to this plane while I heal her. I'll call for help along the common path. Every Carpathian who hears will not hesitate to lend their aid. We will save her Jayden."_

"_Thank you, Caleb." _Jayden then followed his instincts in order to rescue his soul's other half.

* * *

Kris was floating, swimming in a seemingly endless sea of mist. _Is this death?, _she thought. _Is this a gateway to the next world? Am I flying through the clouds to reach Heaven? This all looks like something from a dream. _As she floated onward, the mist seemed to move, reshaping itself around her. Kris found herself in a network of tunnels. Though every chamber looked alike, she felt her spirit pulled toward one in specific. As Kris followed the pull down a long corridor, gravity soon began to take hold of her. Her feet touched down on a varnished hardwood floor.

She watched as the mist dissipated, leaving her in a strange house. There was a small crowd gathered around a long table filled with food and a birthday banner hung above a long wooden staircase. The joy of celebration filled the air and Kris couldn't help but wonder why she'd been sent here. It soon became clear, as she walked among the partygoers, that she was invisible to everyone. At least, it seemed that way until one blonde head popped out of the crowd.

As soon as the girl looked up and met her gaze, Kris knew three things for certain. One, Kris was not only dead, she was a ghost. Two, she was looking at her friend Tara-she recognized her from her picture on Facebook. Third, Kris knew she didn't have long to stay. Even now, she could feel her spirit being pulled away toward a beautiful chorus of foreign voices. This was her last chance to help her friends before leaving them forever.

Kris knew from numerous online chat sessions, that Tara could see spirits, but she couldn't hear them. If Kris wanted to get a message across, it would have to be something simple and easy to read on her lips. But as she watched her friend come to terms with her death, and Tara's horror and devastation reached her, all words vanished. Kris could think of nothing to say. The voices were growing louder and more insistent, one deep baritone voice in particular. She had to leave, and she realized that there was really only one thing she could say. Her friends could help each other. "Help Mi—" But it was too late. Her time had run out.

* * *

Jayden came back to himself, opening his eyes to see his lifemate desperately sucking the blood from his wrist. He swayed with weakness, but he couldn't help but smile. _"We did it Caleb," _he called to his brother. _"She's alive. I almost didn't reach her, but she's alive and I'm never letting her go." _Jayden waited until the color returned to his lifemate's face before removing his wrist from her mouth and sealing the wound with his saliva.

"_I am happy for you, Jayden. You deserve this." _It was clear in his voice that Caleb had given much of himself to save the woman. _"Be careful with her, Jayden. I healed only the major wounds. I recommend you leave at least some of the minor injuries, at least until you've explained to her who and what you are. It will be hard enough without having to explain to her why she doesn't have a scratch on her. I have business I must finish up here, but I shall come down and meet my new sister in a few nights time. I have to go now. I must feed. You should as well. You must be strong for the nights ahead."_

"_Thank you, Caleb. I am forever in your debt." _Jayden broke the connection with his brother and turned back to his lifemate. She was soaked through to the bone. Even unconscious she was shivering. He had to take her home and get her warm.

He took her body in his arms and sped back to his large house in the woods. "Yo boss. Where's the fire?" Carlos asked as he rushed in. Carlos Santiago and his family lived with and worked for Jayden and his brother. They'd been trusted friends of the Kosturaks ever since Caleb had saved Carlos's father from a falling elm tree at the age of six. They were the only humans Caleb and Jayden had ever trusted with the secret of their Carpathian nature. Carlos noticed the woman in Jaden's arms. "Hey, who's the chick?"

Jayden sent Carlos what could only be described as a death threat glare as he stripped the sheets off the bed in a spare room and laid the woman on the mattress. "This _chick_ is my lifemate and if you wish to keep your limbs, you will never again refer to her by such a vulgar and obnoxious name," he growled at his employee.

Carlos went white in the face and held up his hands palm-up in surrender. "Sorry boss. I didn't mean nothin' by it. Do you need help or something or do you just want me to go?"

"Go. But send in your mother or one of your sisters. I will need someone to watch over my lifemate when I head out to feed. I won't have any other male looking at my lifemate in her vulnerable state."

"Sure boss. Whatever you say."

As Carlos turned to go, Jayden called him back. "Forgive me, Carlos. I did not mean to yell. I know I told you once about lifemates. I have emotions now and I'm discovering that one of them is jealousy."

Carlos smiled. "It's alright, boss. I'll go get Mom for you. Congratulations by the way." Carlos walked out before Jayden could thank him.

Jayden shut the door and got to work. He started a fire in the fireplace and, with a thought, he made new bed sheets as well as replaced his woman's wet t-shirt and jeans with a warm fleece nightgown. Jayden placed a hand on her cheek and once again admired her beauty. He watched as her chest rose and fell with each breath and he couldn't help but remember how still it had been not long before. He nuzzled her neck. He knew he shouldn't, but after coming so close to losing her, he needed a blood bond. He sank his fangs into her neck to complete the exchange.

* * *

Kris woke up to the feel of something nuzzling her and then a sharp pain erupted as what felt like twin needles entered her neck. The pain soon gave way to pleasure though and Kris instinctively reached her arms up to hold onto the warm fuzzy feeling. She felt her fingers touch long, soft hair and after a few moments, she opened her eyes to see a gorgeous dark-haired man lift up his head to gaze at her with his beautiful golden brown eyes. Kris' glasses were missing, yet she could still see that he was the man from her visions—the one she'd seen herself marrying. Kris felt a wave of pure happiness emanate from the man as he pulled her into his warm embrace. "Is this Heaven?" she asked him.

"No, _sivamet_. This is still Earth. You are still very much alive." Kris recognized the deep baritone voice that had pulled her away from Tara. The man was shaking as he held her and she was pretty sure she heard him crying. She didn't know who this man was or why he seemed to care so much for her, but right now she didn't care. Kris rested her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and smiled. She'd let herself worry about everything later. The man had said she was alive, but resting here in his arms, it sure felt like Heaven.

* * *

**Authors Note: Chapter 4 will follow Mickey and Tara during the events of this chapter. I won't be coming back to Jayden and Kris until Chapter 5. I thought the friends deserved a chapter to themselves.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. Life got in the way. Big thanks to inuhime313 for her constant nagging. Seriously, without her, this chapter would still only be half-written. Well, Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 4

"Angela Danvers, you've just turned twenty-five years old. What are you gonna do now?" Tara spoke into an invisible microphone.

Angela spoke into Tara's outstretched fist. "Well let's see. First, I'm gonna open my presents. Then I'm gonna eat cake. But, after the party's over…" Angela paused for dramatic effect. "I'm going to Disney World!" Both friends laughed. "But I'm not taking you with me if you keep acting like such a dork."

Tara's jaw dropped in mock surprise. "You're taking me with you? I feel so honored."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Well of course I'm taking you with me. Or at least I would if I were actually going to Disney World."

Tara's lower lip came down in a fake pout. "You're not going? You lied to me? Well if that's the way you're going to play it then I'll just take my gift back." Tara reached for the table piled with presents.

Angela stepped in front of her and put her hands up palms out. "Oh no you don't. It's too late, you've already wrapped it."

"That doesn't mean squat," Tara said. "I can rip that paper off in far less time than it took me to put it on."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "You can unwrap in less than zero seconds?"

Tara glared. "Oh that's low. How dare you imply I got someone else to wrap this gift! I'm hurt. And after I defiled Mandy Keller's new Jag for you."

"Oh stop with the guilt trip, Tara. That was in junior year! It's not like I _asked_ you to scratch the words '"Bitch" is too good for you' into the hood of her car! Even if she did deserve it after stuffing all those condoms into my locker so they'd fall out."

Tara stuck out her bottom lip and stayed silent.

"Oh not the puppy dog pout! You do that too darn well!" A few more seconds went by in silence until Angela said, "All right, I cave! I'm sorry I insulted your wrapping ability."

Tara burst out laughing. "Works every time. The funny thing is you were right. I did get someone else to wrap it."

Angela scrunched up her face in mock anger. "Why you little…that is it!"

Tara shrieked and quickly bolted as Angela grabbed for her. She was almost at the kitchen door, planning to duck into the crowd in the next room, when Angela grabbed her sides and tackled her. They both landed on the cold kitchen floor. Angel's fingers dug into her friend's side making Tara squeal.

"Stop it! That tickles!" Tara screamed through fits of laughter.

Angela grinned evilly. "Do you surrender?" she asked as she continued the tickle torture.

"Never!" In one quick move, Tara hitched her leg over Angela's thigh, flipped them over and pinned her friend to the floor with her arms trapped above her head. "Now you're at _my_ mercy," Tara declared as she struggled to get her breathing back under control.

"Hey Angie, when are we going to… Is there something I should know?"

"Ryan! Hi!" Angela began. "This isn't what it looks like."

Tara looked up to find that Angela's boyfriend had walked in to find them in their current compromising position. She quickly released her friend and rolled onto the floor.

Tara turned back to look at Angela. "Sure it is," she countered. "Don't lie to him. He was bound to find out eventually."

"What are you talking about?" Angela asked.

Tara turned back to Ryan and smiled. "We didn't want you to find out this way, but Angela and I are madly in love."

"Tara!" Tara shrieked as Angela pinched her on the side. "She's only kidding, Ryan. We were having a tickle fight."

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "I'm gonna start taking the presents into the other room. We're all waiting for you." He grabbed a pile of gifts and headed into the living room.

A few seconds passed by in silence until the two women burst into hysterical laughter.

After a few moments, when the two of them could breathe again, Tara pushed herself off the floor. She looked down at her hand to find it covered in something sticky. "You know, Angela, you really need to clean this floor more often. My hand is all sticky."

Angela got up and examined the floor where they had been rolling around. There was a glint of amusement in her eyes as she met Tara's gaze. "You know, I think Ryan and I might have had sex in that spot."

Tara looked at her hand again and then back at Angela. "Tell me you're kidding!" Angela averted her eyes and bit her lip in silence. "Ahhhhh! TMI!" Tara shrieked as she ran to the kitchen sink and proceeded to scrub her hands with dish soap. "That is so gross, Angela! So, so gross! I'm going to have to cut this hand off now!" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I can't believe you had kitchen sex," she hissed.

Angela let loose a huge guffaw. "I spilled lemon-lime soda there earlier," she smirked. "I can't believe you fell for that."

Tara stopped scrubbing and turned off the faucet. "I can't believe you! You made me think I had your boyfriend's…stuff…on my hand! That is beyond evil!"

Angela bit her lip again. "Turn about's fair play."

Tara put her hands out and pretended to strangle her friend.

"Are you two lesbian lovers done in there?" Ryan's friend Nick called from the other room. "We partiers want cake!"

"Keep your pants on!" Tara yelled back. "I'm trying to get Angela back into hers. Give me a minute; her belt is tricky!" She giggled.

Angela shook her head at her friend. "You are impossible."

"You know you love me," Tara said as she grabbed a pile of presents. "Come on Angela, the natives are getting restless."

* * *

Mickey's eyes went wide as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest. Her blood ran cold from sheer panic. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. She wouldn't believe it. A vampire? Vampires weren't real. It had to be symbolic. But what real world scenario could possibly equal the sheer volume of darkness and pure evil the vision exuded. Someone was in danger. But who? She never had visions about herself. Mickey imagined it was some kind of natural defense mechanism-a way of determining her own fate. Was it Kris? Oh no…Kris!

"Kris, are you there?" she called into the phone. Her answer was the loud crack of wood breaking and metal screeching. "Kris! Answer me!" There was nothing but silence. Mickey looked down at her cell phone. "Signal Lost," the screen read. Mickey probed their link and screamed out loud in agony. Kris had been in an accident and she needed help…now.

With sheer force of will, Mickey pushed Kris' pain to the back of her mind. She dialed those three little numbers no one should ever have to use and begged the emergency operator to find her best friend. Because with every second that passed, Mickey could feel Kris slipping away. Mickey hung up the phone and sobbed into her pillow. Her vision had come too late. Death had set its sights on Kristine Wilkinson and also Mickey's heart.

* * *

"Woohoo!" Angela cheered when she had removed the last of the tissue paper. "A $25 iTunes gift card! Thanks, Tara."

"You're welcome. I got you one dollar for every year you've lived."

"Hey, Ang," Nick said. "Now you can download some more 80s music."

Angela's friend Cassey started singing. "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you…" Cassey looked up to find everyone staring at her. "What? It's a good song."

"Whatever. Angie, it's time to open mine," Ryan told her. "It's the last one."

Angela looked around but all she saw was an envelope with her name on it. "This it?"

"Just open it," Ryan said with a smile.

Angela opened the envelope, pulled out a small piece of paper and read it aloud. "Your birthday mission, should you choose to accept it, is one of life-changing importance. Open the hall closet and reach into my right jacket pocket. There you will find a box. Do not open it until you are back with your guests—Ryan."

Angela gave her boyfriend a skeptical look. "I'm not going to reach my hand in there just to find peeled grapes or something am I?"

"Do you accept your birthday mission or not?"

"All right. I'm humoring you because I love you. This better not be some gag gift." Angela got up, went to the hall closet and retrieved the box. She heard its contents rattling as she brought the small gift back to the sofa and sat down. "All right, here goes." Cautiously, Angela opened up the box and found another note. "Please say yes." Angela looked up to see Ryan grinning like an idiot. "No…you didn't…" She removed the note and heard the guests all gasp as she revealed a beautiful diamond ring. She squealed in glee. "You did!" She exclaimed as she started to cry.

Ryan placed his hand on her cheek. "Please tell me you're crying because you're so happy I proposed and not because that act in the kitchen was for real."

"Yes."

"You are a lesbian?"

"Ryan! No!" she laughed through her tears. "I mean yes, I will marry you."

"Yes?"

Angela smiled. "Yes. Yes! A million times yes!" Angela threw herself into Ryan's arms as everyone cheered.

"Wow," Tara said a few minutes later while they sat down to eat cake. She gestured toward the ring on Angela's left hand. "That is some rock. Ryan has great taste. You must be ecstatic."

"I am. I'm smiling so hard I can barely eat my cake." Angela laughed. "But you, know. You don't have to fake a smile on my account. I know you're still upset about Ben. Although I have no idea why, considering _you_ dumped _him_."

Tara sighed. "Ben was great. I loved being with him, but when it came right down to it, something just didn't feel right. It just felt like something was missing. I couldn't keep stringing him along. He deserved better than that." Tara averted her gaze. "He deserved better than me," she added quietly.

"Tara! Now you know that's not true. Any guy would be lucky to—"

"Hello ladies," Nick interrupted. "I couldn't help but overhear. I believe I have a solution to your boyfriend problem, Tara."

Tara turned around to look at him. "Enlighten me," she said curiously."

"Be happy to. You, me, dinner and a movie, maybe a nice walk through the park at sunset. What do you say?"

Tara was about to answer when something caught her eye. A wave of pure terror passed over her as the weight of despair came to rest on her heart. "No. No no no no no no…" She just kept repeating the word over and over as she stared at the ghost of her online friend. Fearing her legs would give out, she grabbed the table for support and clutched her chest as a wrenching pain ripped through her. Tears poured down her face. She couldn't bear to watch, yet she couldn't look away. Tara watched as Kris began to speak. She was in the process of deciphering the silent words when Nick grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him.

"Tara, you're white as a sheet. I didn't mean to upset you that much. You're acting like you just lost your best friend." Tara shook him off to look back at Kris, but her friend's ghost was gone.

"Tara, honey? What's wrong?" Angela came over and gently touched her hand, but Tara pulled away almost fiercely.

Tara felt her heart start to speed up and her breath quicken. The walls felt like they were closing in. Her skin felt strange and her whole body ached. She had to get outside. She needed to run. "I'm sorry, Angela, but I have to go," she choked out as she grabbed her purse. "Happy Birthday!"

"Tara, wait!" Angela yelled as she watched her friend run out the door and zoom down the street. Angela slammed the door in frustration. "Damnit! I don't understand that girl! Not only does she run out the door after freaking out for no apparent reason, but she leaves her car parked in my driveway!"

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**Next Chapter, things get a little intense as Kris and Jayden go head to head. I can't tell you when the next update will be, but I do promise to get it up as soon as I can. Now, REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. I had writer's block for a while. Please thank inuhime313 for pushing me to continue this story. This chapter would not exist without her. Well here's Chapter 5. Read and review.**

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Chapter 5

_Kris was standing on a hill on the outskirts of a vast forest. The wind picked up, chilling Kris to the bone. She rubbed her arms and looked around. The sounds of a howling wolf caught her attention. The source of those cries crouched on the edge of a cliffside. Kris recognized the silver-white wolf. It had visited her many times in her dreams these past several years. It was Tara's wolf. The gorgeous creature always seemed to show up whenever her friend was in emotional distress. The wolf's silver-blue eyes conveyed more than words ever could. This time was different, though. The wolf wasn't looking at Kris, wasn't seeking her out. Kris felt as if she'd encroached upon a private moment. As the wolf's sad song filled her ears, Kris felt her heart wrench in her chest. The sheer grief and loss the cries expressed brought tears to her eyes. Her soul ached for her friend. _

"_I'm right here," Kris said as she approached the animal. "I didn't leave you. I'm right here."_

The wolf turned and stared with unseeing eyes. A wave of pure agony swept over her and brought Kris to her knees. It was as if a piece of her had been stolen from her, one essential to life. "I'm right here. Can't you see me? I'm not going anywhere. You're not alone." The wolf let loose a whimper and turned away. Howling to the moon once more, it retreated down the hill.

"_Come back!" Kris cried. "I'm right here! I'm still right here!" But her cries fell on deaf ears._

Kris came awake with a gasp and shot up straight in the bed. She grabbed her forehead and groaned as a wave of dizziness and nausea passed over her.

"Easy." Kris felt a hand gently push her back down. Through her blurred vision she was able to make out the vague shape of a woman of medium build. Judging by the salt and pepper hair, the woman was probably in her mid forties to fifties.

"What happened?" Kris looked around, but without her glasses all she could tell was that she was in a stranger's bedroom. "How did I get here?"

"Don't you remember, dear? You got into an accident with your car on the mountainside. My employer, Mr. Kosturak, heard the crash and rescued you from the wreckage. You're lucky to be alive. I hear you were practically at death's door."

Flashes of the crash went through Kris' mind. She remembered the fear, the pain, then… that misty tunnel... "Tara," she whispered. She slowly pushed herself up in the bed. "I wasn't just at death's door, I died!"

"Easy, dear. You need to calm down. You've been in a terrible accident. You need to rest."

Kris looked at the woman. "That crash, there was such pain." Kris pulled aside the sheet and stared in astonishment at her left leg. She gently probed the skin. Other than some bruising it was as if she'd never broken it at all. But that was impossible. "My leg...it…it shattered. I remember; it felt like it exploded. That crushing sound. And my ribs, I could have sworn they were poking into my lungs. I couldn't breathe!" Kris' heart sped up and her breathing quickened. She felt the onslaught of a panic attack.

"Dear, you need to calm down." The woman tried desperately to relax her, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Kris just pushed her away.

"No! I died in that car! I know I did. I remember this tunnel and this weird mist. But something brought me back…no…someone. I remember this voice calling to me." The face of that man with the golden brown eyes flashed through her head. She felt her breathing slowly return to normal as she remembered basking in the warmth of the man's embrace. She looked at the woman thoughtfully. "That man who found me, Mr. Kosturak?"

"Yes?"

"Does he have golden brown eyes, dark hair, a deep baritone voice and give amazing hugs?"

The woman smiled wistfully. "For as long as I've known Mr. Kosturak, I don't believe I've ever seen him show that level of affection."

Kris' face fell. "Oh…I must have imagined him then."

The woman chuckled. "Oh no. Trust me, your description is correct. And if he would be hugging anyone it would certainly be you."

Kris raised her eyebrow. "Come again? The man doesn't even know me."

"Oh, he knows you." The woman tapped a finger on her forehead. "Maybe not up here. But trust me, he knows you."

"Huh?" Kris clutched her temples and groaned. "Ow. Now I've got a headache."

"Come now, Sylvia." Kris looked up to see the current topic of conversation walk into the room. "Miss Wilkinson here has been through enough without you giving her headaches with your cryptic words."

"Forgive me, Mr. Kosturak. I was merely making conversation."

"Don't blame her. I've been straining to see without my glasses. My vision keeps going double."

"Ah…" Mr. Kosturak came and sat on a chair next to the bed, allowing Kris a closer look at him. "Perhaps these will help." He held up a pair of sunglasses. "The storm died down a bit so I went back to the crash site to see what I could salvage. I assume these are prescription?"

"Yes. Thank you." Kris smiled as she reached for the glasses.

"Allow me." The man gently tucked her hair behind her ears. Kris' breath hitched in her throat as a wave of heat passed through her. She could feel a slight dampness between her legs and her nipples hardened beneath her borrowed clothes. The feeling was so foreign, yet not entirely unwelcome. She'd never come anywhere near this level of arousal before and this man was barely touching her. Overwhelmed by the strange surrealism of the moment, Kris reached her hands up to stop him from completing his task.

"I think I'd rather do it myself. I can't exactly see what you're doing and I don't want to freak out on you and cause you to poke me in the eye."

Mr. Kosturak pulled back his hands. He brought his face close enough for them to breathe the same air and met her gaze. Kris felt herself falling into the golden brown depths. "Very well." He smiled as he handed her the glasses. "I wouldn't want to deprive the world of such unique and beautiful eyes as yours. They truly are striking."

She gave a nervous laugh. "Thank you, Mr. Kosturak," she said as she quickly turned her head. She could feel her face turn six shades of red as she put the glasses on her face. Kris blinked a few times as her eyes readjusted to her prescription. The room was darker now, due to the tint of the sunglasses, but at least now she could see. And WOAH, what a view! If she thought Mr. Kosturak was sexy before, that was nothing compared to the clear picture. Kris' heart sped up and she began to sweat. Her panties dampened even more and she began to feel quite needy. _Good Lord, _she thought._ He's hotter than Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Chris Hemsworth combined! _Kris knew she was staring, but she couldn't help it. He was a god among men. She became lost in a fantasy of this sexy hunk ravishing her in a king size bed with red satin sheets. She was just getting to the part with the silk scarves when she realized he was speaking to her. Kris shook her head to clear it of her lust-induced daydream. "She cleared her suddenly dry throat. "Sorry. You were saying something?"

The man smiled again and Kris was certain if she had been standing right then, she would have fallen to the floor. "Yes. I asked you to please call me Jayden."

Another nervous laugh escaped her as she replied, "Okay." Kris couldn't keep from smiling back at him. "I'm—"

"Kristine Evelyn Wilkinson." Jayden held up her driver's license. "Date of Birth: September 25th, 1987; hair: brown, eyes…" he raised his eyebrows and looked at her quizzically." "Blue?" Once again, he came incredibly close to her. He reached up and gently pushed down on the bridge of Kris' glasses in order to look into her eyes. "No way are your eyes anything as utterly mundane as 'blue.' "They are deep sapphires lined in silver surrounding sunbursts of emerald and bronze. I have seen many jewels in my time, but even the most flawless of gems could not compare to the brilliance that is found in your eyes."

Kris swallowed a sudden lump in her throat and her eyes went wide in amazement. _Is this guy for real?_ This close scrutiny was unnerving. No one had ever looked at her like Jayden was looking at her right now, like she was the only one in his universe. As she met his gaze she felt the same pull as before. It seemed to get stronger the longer she was with him. The pull was similar to what she felt with her nephew and with Mickey. A psychic link was trying to form between them; she could feel it. But it was so much more than that. Jayden's myriad of emotions poured out of him and flowed into Kris completely unfiltered. He was radiating with an aura of such intensity she found herself drowning in it. She felt his happiness, joy, and wonder, but also frustration and confusion, and—. _No it can't be. It's not possible. You can't be feeling that, not for me. Definitely not for me! _As hard as it was, Kris tore her gaze away from his eyes and looked down. _This can't be happening. _But it was. The tent in Jayden Kosturak's pants was unmistakable even with her dark glasses on. And it wasn't small either.

Kris gulped down another lump in her now dry throat and pulled away from the very aroused hunk of beefcake in front of her and managed to squeak out, "Can I use your bathroom, please?"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"_I think I might have scared her away, Caleb," _Jayden sent to his brother as he stared at the closed bathroom door. _"She's been in that bathroom for almost twenty minutes."_

"Perhaps she is constipated." His brother sent back, unconcerned.

"I doubt it, Caleb. I heard the toilet flush at least eighteen minutes ago. I think she's avoiding me."

"What reason would she have to avoid her lifemate?"

"I came on rather strong when I complimented her eyes. I couldn't help it though, Caleb. In all the centuries I have lived, I have never seen such exquisite jewels as my Kristine's eyes."

"You're a gem caller by trade, Jayden. I find that hard to believe."

"It is true, my brother! My world is filled with colors now! Everywhere I look it's a dazzling display of colors, but her eyes contain the most brilliant of them all. When I look upon them, I cannot help but speak poetry."

"My twin, speaking poetry?" Caleb was incredulous. This Kristine sure has made an impression on you."

"An impression? It was more like a volcano erupted all over me! I do not believe she was aware of it, but she was projecting a rather detailed sexual fantasy featuring the two of us! Good Lord, Caleb! It was all I could do not to ravish her right then and there!"

"So you scared her off by being hopelessly attracted to her? She is your lifemate. She should be flattered and excited, not put off." Caleb paused. "At least that is what I've seen from some other Carpathian couples."

"Well that is the problem. She is not Carpathian; she is human. If she were Carpathian, she would already know what was happening between us. She seemed equally if not more frightened by her own reaction.

"Likely, she has never been aroused by anyone before, seeing as how she has always been meant for you. The experience is probably completely foreign to her."

"What do you suggest I do, Caleb? How do I introduce her to our world and our destined life together without scaring her off?"

Tread carefully, my brother. That is all the advice I can give you."

Jayden sighed and focused on the bathroom door again. " I can hear her pacing in there now."

"_She should not be walking around so much,"_ Caleb told him._ " I did not perform a full healing on her leg. The bone could very well fracture again if she puts too much pressure on it."_

Jayden stood up from his chair. _"I will go check on her. I shall talk to you later and let you know what happens."_

"_Good luck, Jayden."_

"Thanks. I have a feeling I'm going to need it."

Kris stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she contemplated her current predicament. _I have to be dreaming. My own horniness I can understand. Never felt it this strongly before, but I get it. The man is a sex god for Pete's sake! But only in a dream, would a man that hot ever get an erection around me! So I have to be in a coma in some hospital somewhere dreaming all of this. But do people in comas even dream? I know it happened on Buffy, but that was a TV show. There were vampires in it for crying out loud! Wait a minute…_ Kris vaguely remembered some neck nuzzling going on before waking up that first time. She pulled at the neckline of the nightgown. Sure enough, two little pinpricks sat in the middle of a huge hickey. She closed her eyes and smiled as she remembered the utter bliss of that bite. She felt herself heating up again and the dampness returned between her legs. She snapped out of her reverie to find herself gently caressing the bite mark. She quickly pulled her hand away. _Yep. Definitely dreaming. No more paranormal romances for me. _"Hot vampire bites? God, I need to get laid."

"I am not a vampire, Kristine." Kris screamed and jumped up as Jayden loudly forced the door open. The scream that came out of her mouth wasn't just from the shock of him breaking the lock on the door. Pain now radiated up and down her bruised leg from the force of the jump. Jayden scooped her up into his arms before she could fall to the floor. "Although I cannot comment on the latter."

Kris felt her entire body flush as he smirked at her. Her relentless libido spiked and once again a nervous laugh escaped her lips. "Not that I don't appreciate you catching me before I fell, but I'm fine now. You can put me down."

Jayden placed Kris' arms around his neck and held her even closer. "Not until I examine that leg of yours. Caleb and I were unable to perform a complete healing and you may have just re-injured it."

"Caleb?" she asked as he effortlessly carried her into the other room while carefully supporting her injured leg. "Who's that?"

"My twin brother," he said as he gently placed her on the bed.

"There are two of you?"

Jayden smiled again. "We are fraternal twins. Although, we have been told we look a lot alike." He placed his hands on the bare skin of Kris' left leg. "Now, please lean back and relax. I'm going to finish healing your leg."

"Wait!" Kris placed her hand over his and waited until he looked up at her. "I know I probably can't even begin to comprehend how you and your brother managed to heal me from what I know for a fact were fatal injuries; and I'm still entertaining the notion that none of this is real and I'm in the hospital in some coma. But—"

"I assure you, Kristine, this is very real," Jayden interrupted her. He took her hand, threading his fingers through hers and brought it to his lips. That barely-there kiss on her palm sent such a wave of heat through Kris that had to bite back a moan. She tried to pull away from him, but he held their joined hands trapped against his cheek. Looking into his eyes, she struggled to keep from drowning in his gaze. The emotions pouring off of this man were so strong it was all she could do to keep her barriers in place. The lust was still apparent. "How can you possibly doubt the truth of this moment?" Jayden asked.

Kris nodded towards their joined hands. "That's why." She glanced back at the tent in his pants, which appeared to have grown even larger if that were even possible. "And that. A guy like you doesn't get one of those for just anybody."She looked back up at him and Jayden reluctantly let go of her hand. Kris watched as Jayden grit his teeth and fisted his hands so hard the knuckles turned white. She was shocked. That dark emotion she was feeling, was it…yes… that anger was definitely coming from him. He looked like he was about to tackle her. His pupils were dilating. Her heartbeat sped up and once again she felt the onset of a panic attack. She began to whimper from the fear he instilled in her. _Note to self: never anger a man you suspect of being a vampire._

_"I told you. I am not a vampire. And I will never become one, not now that I have found you. "_

Kris' eyes widened as she realized that his lips hadn't moved. _"Did you just read my mind and answer back telepathically?"_

Jayden shrugged. _"It is natural for us to speak this way."_

"Maybe for you!" she shouted at him. "I'm an empath, not a telepath! Which by the way is not helping the situation at all because for some unknown reason, you have absolutely no shields on your emotions! I'm surprised I'm still conscious! At the very least I should feel like my head is being beaten with a sledgehammer!" Kris paused as she suddenly realized something. "Why don't I have a headache? Come to think of it, I haven't had a single headache since you walked in the room." A strange calm suddenly settled over Kris and she stared at Jayden in awe. "What are you?"

Jayden sat down beside her on the bed. "I am what is known as a Carpathian. My people are of the earth. We sleep in the soil and we must drink blood to survive. We can live for centuries and we have a wide range of abilities. Shapeshifting, traveling as mist, mental compulsion, and levitation are just a few."

"How is that not a vampire? Can you go out in the sun?" Kris asked.

"We are born like all living creatures. As children we can play in the sun and take in food like humans, although we can never consume meat. As we get older, our bodies stop digesting solid foods and our tolerance to sunlight begins to wane. Although, if we are careful, we can still go outside right after dawn and right before sunset. At about twenty-five years of age, our physical bodies stop aging. We remain fledglings for the first two hundred years. This is around the age when all males lose their ability to feel emotions and see in color. It is an empty, bleak existence. We have only our honor to sustain us. Many greet the dawn, and still many others choose to give up their honor. They completely drain the blood from a human just so they can experience momentary pleasure—just to feel _something_. But when a Carpathian male kills while feeding, he becomes the undead—a true vampire of legend. He will continue to kill mercilessly for that artificial high until he is completely destroyed."

Kris cringed. "Well that sounds like a crappy life. Sure you've got all these cool powers, but you can't even enjoy them. And this only happens to the men? What about the women?"

"Each of our women is a rare treasure. They are the light to our darkness. They give us the hope we need to continue living."

"Wow," Kris said. "So you must be young for a Carpathian, right. I mean you certainly feel emotions."

Jayden looked her straight in the eye and said, "I am 917 years old."

Kris' eyes widened even more and her jaw dropped. "B-but you just said—"

Jayden nodded. "For over seven hundred years I have walked this earth existing in a grey, emotionless void. I had nothing to live for except duty and honor. That is, until I heard your desperate prayer and saw your broken body inside that wreckage."

"I don't understand. How did finding me change anything?"

Jayden tucked a stray hair behind Kris' ear and once again that gentle touch sent shivers down her spine. The pull was stronger than ever. She didn't know how much longer she could deny him. "The reason our males keep going, why we hold on to duty and honor when we have nothing left, is because we all hope that one day, we will meet our meet our lifemates. If a Carpathian male is lucky enough to find the one woman who is the other half of his soul, his colors and emotions will be restored. You, Kristine, are my lifemate."

Kris burst into hysterical laughter. "Of course I am! This makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't I be the—what did you call it—oh yeah, 'lifemate' of a supernatural creature? No _human _malewould ever find me attractive! I'm about as plain as they come!"

Jayden was thoroughly confused. Why would his beautiful lifemate think she was 'plain?' "Kristine, why would you ever think that? You are a gem inside and out. Who has told you otherwise?"

Kris glared at him. "Plenty of people, not that they had to. I'm a 24-year-old virgin who's never had a date in her life! In fact, the one time I actually struck up the nerve to ask a guy out, he laughed in my face!"

Jayden felt a dark rage sweep through him. "I'll kill the bastard."

Kris raised an eyebrow. "You know, for someone who claims I'm the woman he's meant to spend the rest of eternity with, you're doing a terrible job of selling yourself." She turned away from him and said, "I gotta get out of here. I need some fresh air to clear my head." She slid off the bed, gritting her teeth as pain shot up her leg. She tried to ignore it and began limping toward the hallway.

Immediately Kris felt Jayden's rage replaced with concern. He grabbed her and once again carried her to the bed as if she weighed no more than a child. "Please just let me heal you."

Kris let out a frustrated sigh and threw her arms up in defeat. "Look, I'm not saying I believe you because let's face it, this whole scenario just screams "paranormal romance novel" and it's totally something I would dream up—but if this is all true, and you did heal me using some kind of supernatural ability, then you must have used up a tremendous amount of energy in order to do so. Both you and your brother. You've done more than enough; you don't need to give any more than you already have."

"I have replenished most of my strength since the initial healing, and completing this small task would take very little. I hate to see you in even the slightest pain. Please _sivamet,_ let me do this for you."

Once again, Kris could feel the sincerity of Jayden's words. In fact, the man who called himself her lifemate seemed to be on the verge of tears. Kris took his hand and held it to her face. _"You feel my pain, don't you?"_

"_Every little twinge. I've been suppressing your headaches, but the pain in your leg will not cease until the bone is fully healed."_

Kris nodded. _"I know what it's like to want to help someone who refuses your aid. What good is a gift if you are never to use it? Go ahead, Jayden. If it will ease your mind, I will accept your help."_

Jayden sighed in relief. "_Lean back and relax, Kristine. My spirit will exit my body and enter yours as pure healing energy. You'll feel a slight warm sensation as I heal you from the inside."_

Kris watched as his body slumped on the bed. She could literally feel his spirit moving within her. As she felt her leg strengthening, she also felt Jayden's very essence pounding at her mental barriers. The pull to merge with him was so strong; she felt it to the depths of her very soul. All too soon, he returned to his body and Kris found herself aching at the loss.

Jayden looked up to see that his lifemate was crying. "Sweetheart, why are you crying? Your leg is healed; you should no longer feel any pain." She began to shake as her tears turned to sobs. Jayden gather her in his arms and held her close to comfort her. "I'm sorry. Caleb would have done better. He is the real healer in the family. Although we all have the skill, he is a true prodigy. It is a good thing, too, for I know not whether anyone else would have been able to bring you back. I went to retrieve your spirit, but were it not for Caleb, you would not have had a body strong enough to sustain it. As it stands, I still had to give you an enormous amount of my blood."

Kris buried her nose in his neck. _"You gave me blood? Will I become like you now?"_

Jayden ran his fingers through her shoulder-length hair. _"It takes three blood exchanges to become a Carpathian. We have completed only one." _Jayden focused on lowering her heart rate and getting her breathing under control.

Kris gasped. There in Jayden's arms, she could feel both of their hearts beginning to beat in sync with one another. She put her arms around him and held tight. She squeezed her eyes shut and gathered her resolve. Kris could feel her empathic blocks crumbling. The pull to bond with this man, this Carpathian, was far too strong to resist. Soon she would have no other choice but to let go. But first, there was something he needed to know_. _"Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of losing myself in a man's embrace."

She felt Jayden try to bring them face to face, but she held firm. "NO!" She felt his confusion. "Please don't misunderstand. I feel it too. The connection between us, it's so strong; I can't fight it much longer. If I look into your eyes one more time, I'm going to lose it, and I have to tell you something before that happens." She felt him nod. "Like I said, I've always dreamed of this. Most girls dream of that big white wedding and plan every little detail from the time they are like six years old, but not me. In a world where the institution of marriage is losing its meaning, the wedding ceremony never meant all that much to me. Sure, I'd never get married without one, but the details don't matter. All that I ever cared about was the man I'd be pledging to spend the rest of my life with. I never really imagined what he'd look like either; it was always just about how he'd make me feel. You see, I've never really felt comfortable in my own skin. I've always felt something important was missing from my life, like my soul had holes in it or something. I've always longed for that special someone who would complete me. For as long as I can remember I've felt this longing for my soul mate. I don't know how, but deep down, I've always known how I would recognize him. Whenever he would hold me, the rest of the world would fall away. In his arms, I'd be whole. I'd be home and I'd never want to leave. I feel that now with you."

For a long time, Kris just basked in the warmth of her lifemate's embrace. Finally she pulled back and looked into his golden brown gaze. This time she didn't fight the need to let her spirit drift towards his. "When I was dying, I couldn't help thinking that I'd never get to feel that completeness I'd always so desperately needed. I had a vision of a future I thought I'd never have. I finally saw the face of my soul mate." Kris smiled through her tears and placed a hand on each side of his face. "It was you, Jayden." Their faces were now close enough that they could kiss if so inclined. _"I don't care if everything points toward this being a dream. I need this to be real. I need _you_ to be real."_

Jayden touched his lips to hers and Kris lost herself to pure feeling.

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**That felt like a good place to stop. Please let me know what you think. I'll try to have the next chapter up in at least two weeks. Maybe sooner if I get a lot of great reviews. Hint Hint.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hey, sorry it took me so long to update. This was a really challenging chapter for me. I've never done a lemon before. That's right, folks. Dark Illusions is finally living up to it's M rating. You have been warned.**

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Chapter 7

_An all-consuming heat. My body and soul set ablaze. I see colors. Such brilliant colors surround me, fill me. Here there is no darkness, only light; no sadness or fear, only bliss. I am drowning in a swirling vortex of ecstasy. I have tasted the sun and I live for more._

Jayden reluctantly ended the kiss. He did not wish to frighten his lifemate with his advances. However, when his Kristine next opened her eyes, he saw not a shy virgin, but a sultry seductress. Her pupils had dilated and the swirling mix of blue, green and bronze in her irises had shifted into separate gradations of color. Lust poured from her in waves. Merged as they were, Jayden could feel that hers was no simple craving. This was pure need—a need that went far deeper than the physical. Her soul cried out for his. Kristine might be human, but she felt the pull to her lifemate as strong as any Carpathian. Her empath nature only amplified the need to become one. Her human mind might reject it later, but right now, she needed her lifemate. And it was Jayden's right to see to her needs.

Kristine had claimed to be untouched by the ways of love, but her actions told another story. Her brain had given up the struggle of trying to make sense of things and her body took control to lead her through a dance as old as time. She grabbed his head in her hands and locked her fingers in his thick dark hair. She ravaged his mouth, sucking and licking until she forced open his lips. A mating of tongues ensued, only fanning the flames of this unholy lust. She pulled him onto the bed and forced him underneath her with seemingly unnatural strength. Or perhaps it merely seemed unnatural, for his hunger for his lifemate had robbed him of his resolve. Kristine was like an animal in heat. Yet even as she ground her hips against her lifemate in a desperate search for relief, she was also a gentle lover. Every little touch of her wandering hands, the trail of kisses she left on his face, she seemed to find pleasure in pleasing him. Jayden banished his shirt with a thought to give her better access.

Kris gasped and her eyes went wide. He was magnificent. Running her hands along his skin was not enough; using her mouth was not enough. The ache between her legs was second only to the unbearable ache in her spirit. They needed to be closer. She wanted to crawl inside his skin. He was the missing pieces in her jigsaw puzzle of a soul and she had to find a way to put them back in place where they belonged. Unwilling to break skin to skin contact, she struggled to remove her nightgown with one hand. She became frantic in her efforts, tearing at her borrowed clothes and screaming in frustration.

Jayden took pity on her and rid them both of their clothing. She began to rub herself against him like a cat. He lifted her head and stared into her lust-crazed eyes as he reached down between her legs. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she half moaned/half screamed as his fingers made contact with her wet folds. She was drenched with her need and her juices dripped down his hand as she rode one, two, three fingers _" I can't...I can't think...I need...need more...have to be...need to be one...help me!" _Kristine grabbed at his manhood and squeezed as she tried to force him to her weeping core. Jayden almost exploded right then and there. He removed her hand from his pulsing member and forced her arms over her head as he rolled them both over. Now on top, Jayden proceeded to suckle her breasts, alternating between them with little licks and nibbles. _"Come for me, _sivamet_." _Jayden bit down hard on her right nipple while twisting the left with one hand, simultaneously flicking her clit with the other.

Kris screamed as her whole body shook from her explosive climax. Never before had she experienced an orgasm, let alone one so rapturous. Still shaking with aftershocks, Jayden spread her legs wide and placed his throbbing shaft at the entrance of her feminine sheath. He grabbed her head and forced her to look him in the eyes. A small gleam of clarity shined through her lust-glazed eyes. _"The choice is yours, _päläfertiilam._" _Although it just might kill him to stop, he paused, waiting for her answer.

Kris had never even been on a date before and here she was about to lose her virginity to a man she'd just met a few hours ago. But still, ending it now was impossible. If this had been merely a need for physical release, she would have been able to walk away right then and there. But even after that explosive orgasm, it still wasn't enough. She needed to be one with him. Her mind wasn't ready to accept him, but the rest of her didn't give a damn what her mind had to say. Looking into his golden brown eyes, she saw a small spark of light. The light began to grow brighter and brighter; and as it grew, a peaceful warmth began to radiate from within her. Somehow she knew that her own light was rising to meet his. She needed this. She needed him. _ "Yes."_

Jayden was harder than steel and ready to blow, but he forced himself to ease into her slowly. _"Try to hold still,"_ he told her as he reached her thin barrier. _"This will hurt a little." _Kris braced herself for the assault, but as Jayden forced his way in, she felt but a momentary sting before pleasure once again poured over her. "Are you all right? "

Kris gazed deeply into his eyes and watched as that light of his grew closer. "I will be once you start moving."

Jayden smiled and pulled back. Kristine's inner muscles held tight, reluctant to let go of him for even a second. Jayden was on fire. He groaned as he buried himself to the hilt. Back and forth, harder and deeper, their bodies quickly fell into a rhythm.

Kris locked her fingers in Jayden's long dark hair and held firm, keeping their eyes locked on one another. She needed to keep focused on the light in his eyes. She knew somehow that when their two lights collided, the sheer brilliance would chase away all of the dark shadows of her soul. This was the journey to completeness she'd craved her whole life. Jayden began to chant a series of melodic words. They were foreign, yet merged as they were, Kris somehow understood every word.

"**Te avio päläfertiilam**.**(**You are my lifemate.) **Éntölam kuulua, avio päläfertiilam**. (I claim you as my lifemate.) **Ted kuuluak, kacad, kojed. ** (I belong to you.) **Élidamet andam.** (I offer my life for you.) **Pesämet andam**. (I give you my protection.) _**Uskolfertiilamet andam**_**.** (I give you my allegiance. **Sívamet andam. ** (I give you my heart.) **Sielamet andam. ** (I give you my soul.) **Ainamet andam. ** (I give you my body.) **Sívamet kuuluak kaik että a ted**. (I take into my keeping the same that is yours.) **Ainaak olenszal sívambin. ** (Your life will be cherished by me for all my time.) **Te élidet ainaak pide minan. **(Your life will be placed above my own for all time.) **Te avio päläfertiilam. **(You are my lifemate.) **Ainaak sívamet jutta oleny. **(You are bound to me for all eternity.) **Ainaak terád vigyázak. **(You are always in my care.)"

Upon uttering the last word, Jayden plunged himself deep into his lifemate's core. Kris was blinded by bliss as she watched their two lights collide. Jayden sunk his fangs into his lifemate's breast, once again tasting the sweet ambrosia that was Kristine's blood and they both screamed to the ceiling as they climaxed together.

Although it was difficult, Jayden forced himself to retract his fangs. He licked the wound closed, making sure to leave his mark upon her breast.

Kris looked up, dazed with post-coital bliss, and watched as her lifemate sliced open the skin over his heart causing blood to drip down his chest. _"Drink," _he urged her. It should have been abhorrent to her, but Kris found her mouth watering at the idea of tasting his blood. She leaned forward and caught the bead of blood with her tongue. She licked at his chest, following the trail of blood to its source and then suckling from his wound with fervor. It wasn't the blood Kris craved; it was him. She needed the peace and joy that came with their union. Kris knew that after taking this blood, she would never again feel incomplete. Never again would the shadows inside overwhelm her spirit for Jayden would be her anchor.

"That's enough." Jayden lifted her head from his chest and closed the wound with a thought. "I don't want you getting sick. Jayden rolled them over on the bed, and pulled her on top of him. He created a damp cloth out of thin air and proceeded to wipe Kristine's body clean of the evidence of their lovemaking. She came again and he had to start over.

After a few minutes, he dissolved the cloth and pulled a sheet over them both. Kris smiled and curled into his side, placing her hand over his heart. _"That was wonderful. You're amazing. I wish this didn't have to end."_ She sighed and turned to stare at the wall.

Jayden tipped her chin up so she was looking at him eye to eye. _"Who says it has to end?"_

"In a few minutes, the shock is going to wear off and then the shit is going to hit the fan. You probably don't want to be around when that happens. "

"Why would I ever want to be anywhere but with you? You are my lifemate. We'll get through this together."

Kris sighed and turned her head again. "I've never even dated before and here I've just lost my virginity to a guy I've known only a few hours. You're not even human. Is what we did even legal?"

Jayden laughed. "Quite."

Kris rolled her eyes. "I always planned on waiting until after I got married to have sex. I mean, I don't even know you." She turned to face him again. "But I do...don't I? I've always known you."

Jayden cupped her face in his hand. "And I you." Kris snuggled in closer to listen to his heartbeat. She placed her hand over her chest and felt as her own heart matched the rhythm of his.

Jayden took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. "We did not 'have sex' my dear Kristine. We just completed the most sacred of rituals and are now bound together mind, body and soul. By making love in this fashion we are now tied together in a relationship more binding and far more meaningful than the human concept of marriage."

Kris grabbed up the blanket and covered herself as she practically leaped off the bed. "WE'RE MARRIED?" Her voice echoed off the walls.

_"Marriage is nothing compared to the nature of our lifemate bond. There is no going back, Kristine. We are one from now on through eternity."_

"Oh no. No no no no!" Kris started backing up toward the door. She raised her mental blocks and felt a stabbing pain as Jayden attempted to breach the walls of her mind. "Stay out of my head."

"Kristine, please." Jayden got off the bed and began walking towards her. "We need to discuss this. There is still a lot you need to know."

"There is nothing to discuss." She held up her left hand. "Do you see a ring on this finger?"

"You want a ring? I can get you a ring. I'm a gem caller by trade. I can make you the finest wedding ring ever created. Just give me a few nights and you'll have it." Jayden continued to edge closer to her.

Kris rolled her eyes. "You are missing the point! You are _not_ my husband! We are _not_ married! and as soon as I get some clothes and a working phone, I am going to call a cab and get far away from this insane asylum!" Kris wrapped the sheet tighter around her body and reached for the doorknob. Before she could open it, Jayden had his hand on the door, halting her progress.

Kris looked up at him, her eyes smoldering with anger. "Let. Me. Go." Jayden reluctantly released his hold on the door. "Some clothes would be nice. Preferably the ones I came in but without the blood. I know you can do it." Jayden waved his hand and she was once again wearing her jeans and t-shirt. Something was off though. She glared at him. "My underwear?"

Jayden smirked. "Can't blame a guy for trying. He waved his hand once more and her outfit suddenly became a lot more comfortable.

Kris rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Don't follow me."

"I can't let you leave," he called out to her retreating form. "You will find it very unpleasant to be away from me!"

Kris held up her middle finger. "Screw you, asshole!"

Jayden saw Sylvia leaning against the far wall. "Wow," she said. "That went better than I thought it would."

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**That's it for now. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: WOOT! I finally got another chapter up! Who else is excited? It took nine months but I finally got inspiration to hit. Let's all pray it doesn't take that long next time. Well, enjoy.**

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**Chapter 8**

Kris somehow found her way outside and began running through the woods. She had no destination in mind, nor did she have any clue as to which direction she was headed. All she knew was she needed to get away. If she could just get far enough away from him then maybe she could make sense of what had happened—use her head instead of drowning in emotions. But the further she ran from him, the more she ached to return. All the while she could feel him pounding at her mental barriers. But she forced herself to block him out and to keep running. She ran until she was good and lost and then she ran some more. She ran until every step felt like her soul was being shredded to pieces. Finally she stopped running. She couldn't take it anymore. She was angry. Angry at Jayden for binding them in a way she didn't understand, and angry at herself for being unable to say no. She started kicking the dirt and pounding her fists into the trees. She dug her nails into her arms and scratched until she bled. Maybe if she caused her body enough physical pain, she wouldn't have to feel anything else.

Kris looked down at her bleeding arms. She suddenly realized she shouldn't be able to see them. She had made it this entire way without running into anything. Her night vision was phenomenal. She'd never been able to run like that before. Her muscles didn't even hurt that much. Kris flexed her right wrist. Before the accident, she'd had mild carpal tunnel syndrome and acute tendonitis. Now, she was able to put pressure on it without feeling any pain. She picked up a heavy rock and threw it. It hit a tree so hard, it knocked a branch loose. Kris recalled the blood exchange. _That was the second one._ _He's changing me. One more and I won't even be human at all._

Then Kris heard a sound. It was something she hadn't heard in years, something she'd hoped she'd never hear again. It was the sound of hundreds voices all talking at once, as if she was standing in the middle of a crowd where hundreds of conversations were occurring simultaneously and individual words were unintelligible. It was an incessant buzzing like a fly that just wouldn't go away. It kept getting louder and louder. Kris held her hands over her ears, but it didn't help. The noise was inside her head. Her head began to throb. She knelt down in the mud, grabbed her head in her hands and screamed in frustration.

When Jayden heard his lifemate's scream, he feared for the worst. He rushed to her side to fight off her attacker only to find her alone on the ground. She was sobbing as she clutched her head in pain and her entire body was shaking.

"Kristine, are you all right?" Jayden asked as he approached her.

"_Of course I'm not all right! And I told you to stay out of my head!"_

"I'm right behind you Kristine. As much as I wish otherwise, I'm not in your head. You still won't let me in."

Kristine wiped her eyes and turned her head to look at him. "Oh. It was hard to tell with all the other people clamoring for my attention."

Jayden looked around confused. What was his lifemate talking about? "There is no one else here, Kristine." A terrible thought occurred to him. "Is someone else trying to speak with you mentally?"

Kristine raised her eyebrows. "No, and I know there is no one else here." She turned away from him again. "I was being sarcastic."

"Oh. It didn't seem like it." Jayden tried once again to probe Kristine's mind. Once again she blocked him.

Kristine turned and gave him an angry glare. "I guess I need to work on my tone of voice."

As Jayden came closer, he smelled blood. Kristine tried to turn away again, but he grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. "You're bleeding."

Kristine yanked her arm from his grasp and glared at him again. "Your powers of deduction are astounding."

"Now _that_ was sarcasm. And I don't appreciate it. Tell me what happened. Who hurt you?"

"It's none of your concern."

Jayden grabbed his lifemate's head in his hands and forced her to look at him. He made sure she felt every ounce of his anger at her last statement.

Kristine pulled on his arms to no avail. "Let me go."

"Not until you listen. You are my lifemate. Whatever you think or feel right now, that is the truth. You may not understand it, and it may frighten you immensely, but don't you _ever_ think that your pain is none of my concern. You are my _only_ concern. Now tell me what happened. Who hurt you?"

Kristine pried his arms off her face and forced herself to stand. Her anger was palpable as she stared him in the face. "You say you care about me yet you're the reason I'm like this. You did this to me, Jayden. All of this is your fault!"

Jayden couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I would never hurt you, Kristine. I don't know who has been messing with your brain, but I did not do this to you."

Kristine let out a crazed laugh. "That's quite an interesting choice of words, Jayden, because that's exactly how you've hurt me. You screwed up my brain!"

"What are you talking about?"

"16 years."

"Huh?"

"16 years, Jayden. 16 years of therapy and medications, 5 hospitalizations and one crap-ass alternative school for kids nobody wants to deal with because they have just too many problems! That was my life, Jayden. Five years ago, I finally found a happy medium. My medications were finally working and I was starting to feel like I could make something of myself. I had friends! I got my associate's degree, I got a job, and three months ago I got an apartment with my best friend. I finally had a life, Jayden! It wasn't much of one, but it was a life! But you!" She poked him in the chest. "You took that from me, Jayden. You undid 16 years worth of work in one single night. One night! Look at me, Jayden. I'm worse than I've ever been. Don't believe me? You've been wanting inside my head so much. Go ahead and see what you've done to me. Take a look at the hell you've forced me back into."

Jayden felt Kristine's mental shields disappear and he slipped inside her mind. He saw it all. He saw her as a young child acting out because she couldn't make sense of what she was feeling. He watched as she grew up isolated from the other children because nobody wanted to play with a weirdo. He watched as she was forced to take numerous medications, some of which made her feel worse than she did before. She was forced into therapy where she never really felt comfortable talking about anything. Her condition worsened several times and she was sent into hospitalization. They told her it was to monitor her while they regulated her medications, but she always felt like they were sending her to her doom. She feared for her life while she was there for many of the patients were labeled as dangers to themselves and others. One person even attacked her with a plastic fork. Five times she had to go back there. Each time was worse than the last. He saw her terror as she entered an alternative school. The entire school was one hallway and there was no where to run to escape the other troubled kids. She tried to tell everyone she didn't belong there. They had placed her there to escape stress but were only causing more. She found herself dealing with the new stress in destructive ways. She began pulling out her hair and scratching at herself so much that she began to scar. She got several infections, even ended up losing half a cup size in one of her breasts due to so much scar tissue. Still she couldn't stop because physical pain was so much easier to deal with than the emotional trauma she was forced to endure. Sometimes, when she got so stressed out, she began to hear voices. Nothing discernible, just the sounds of voices in a crowded room. A few times she just snapped. It was like she left her body for a few seconds and when she came back, she found she had done something terrible and violent. One time she threw a rock at a six-year-old boy and another time she stabbed a classmate with a pencil. This terrified her for she was not a violent person. She would never hurt someone like that, and yet she had. She couldn't explain what she was feeling or why she did it because she hadn't been feeling anything. Every day she lived in fear of that dark violence returning.

He then saw as things began to change. One of the few friends she'd made over the years had lost her brother. He had taken his own life. This tragedy forced Kristine to look at her life differently. She had seen the darkness in the man long before his death. At the time she hadn't understood what it meant. Kristine began to sense the same thing in many of her classmates. She decided she needed to use this ability to somehow prevent what had happened to her friend's brother from ever happening to anyone else she knew. Kristine resolved to never let herself feel like her life wasn't worth anything. Never again would she joke about the world being better off without her. She found strength in her Christian faith and renewed her relationships with her friends. She met Michaela, or Mickey as Kristine called her and together they explored what it meant to be empaths. Kristine had found her calling. She only shared the truth of her empath nature with a few friends, but everyone who knew her could see that she had changed for the better. She was finally living a life she was proud of.

Then Jayden saw himself through her eyes. She'd been ecstatic. She'd finally found someone she could feel whole with. Someone who could hold her while she fell asleep. But she was afraid. Afraid to believe in him and the supernatural world he claimed to be a part of. And after she'd experienced the single most wonderful moment of her life, he watched as reality came crashing down. She ran to try and find some sanity in the midst of all the chaos his existence had forced upon her. But as she ran, only more pain ensued. Every last bit of emotional stress seemed to be returning. It was as if she'd never been placed on medication, never honed her empath abilities. Nothing was making sense and all the problems she'd ever experienced as a result of her empathy just came right back tenfold. She couldn't take it. She began tearing up her skin again and the voices were back. She'd lost herself. He may have completed her soul but he'd shattered her sanity.

"_I'm so sorry. I never would have bound us together if I'd known I would end up hurting you so much."_

Kristine looked into his eyes and put her hand on his cheek. She let him feel her regret. "I know you never intended for any of this to happen. I just wanted someone to blame and you were convenient. You were a total gentleman. You gave me a chance to say no. It's not your fault that empathic overload made it impossible." Kris smiled and wiped a tear from Jayden's eye. _"Besides, after letting you into my head, I feel so much better. I was about to have a panic attack before you showed up. I think I was causing all my stress to build up by blocking you out. I'm sorry."_ Kristine shivered and Jayden hugged her close.

"_How about we go back to the house where it's warm. I can heal these scratches on your arms and then I can tell you all you need to know about lifemates?"_

"_I'd like that."_

Jayden smiled. "Put your arms around me. I'm going to fly us back."

Kristine backed away and shook her head. "Fly? No way."

Jayden laughed. "Don't you trust me not to drop you?"

"It's not that. I'm afraid of heights."

"How about a horseback ride?"

"Don't you mean piggy-back ride?"

Jayden chuckled. "Now why would you want to ride a pig?"

Kristine laughed. "I never understood the expression either, but it's piggy-back ride, not horseback ride."

"Ah. You misunderstand me, _sivamet_. I wasn't using an expression."

Kristine watched in awe as Jayden transformed in a gorgeous white stallion complete with saddle and bridal. The horse knelt down as if waiting for her to get on. _"Are you also afraid of horses?" _Kris could have sworn she heard the horse laugh.

"_Ha ha," _she said sarcastically._ "I'm still taking it all in. This is so freaking cool! I wish I still had my cell phone so I could take a picture. I guess it got broken during the accident." _She walked up and mounted the horse.

"_I actually never found a phone,"_ he said as he righted himself. The horse began a leisurely stroll back to the house. _"It must have been in so many pieces that I didn't notice it."_

From deep within the earth, a vampire arose. Something had disturbed his sleep. He scented blood on the air. He followed it to the source—some strange device with a cracked screen and buttons with numbers and letters. He lapped up the blood, revealing a picture underneath. Two women stood arm in arm. One of them looked familiar. _Impossible. She's been dead for centuries._ But the resemblance was undeniable. He had to find her. He had to claim his Daniella.

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**Mwahahahahaha. Yes I'm so evil leaving it like that. If you want me to keep going, leave me a good review. Maybe it will inspire me. Here's hoping.**


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